Plane problems for musicians

15 June 2012

Musicians who travel on planes for professional purposes are confronted with huge difficulties when it comes to being allowed to carry their instrument on board as cabin luggage, even when they have paid for an extra-seat. For a professional musician, not being allowed to travel with his/her instrument in safe conditions means losing a job.

This is a concern not just for EU performers but also for all non-EU performers flying from a EU airport or traveling from abroad with a EU-based airline.

There is this year a unique opportunity to amend EU regulation 261/2004 on air passenger rights and redress this acute problem.

Only a broad mobilisation will convince European Commissioner Siim Kallas to address this issue within the review of regulation 261/2004. Such mobilisation will help him resist the lobbying of enormously powerful airlines companies.